Bio

Erin Patrice O'Brien is a portrait photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. As a child, her parents moved often, divorced, then moved some more. As a result, Erin attended nine different schools across three different states. She started college at Boston University and finished at Drexel University, graduating with a degree in fashion design.
“I was always the new girl and felt very different. I couldn’t connect with the most normal people, so I became interested in all different types of people. It was difficult, but it taught me to be a more resilient person. And I became acutely aware of cultures and subcultures."
For two years, Erin documented girls in New York City's Mexican-American community for a project entitled “Mamás Adolescentes: NYC 2006-2007.” The work of large-scale portraits was shown in 2008 at the Rush Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn, NY.
In 2011, Erin created a project that brought together the first graders at Brooklyn's Arts and Letters school (where her daughter is a student), and the Vatsalya orphanage in Jaipur, India. Her documentary, “Brooklyn to India,” helped to raise funds for Vatsalya and awareness of progressive methods of education.
In the past twelve years, Erin has contributed to numerous publications including People, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. She has photographed advertising campaigns for Comedy Central, New York University and Fuse TV.
“From a really young age, I would draw people, name them, and give them personalities. Now, I photograph them.”
Editorial
The Atlantic, Billboard, Bloomberg ,Essence, ESPN, Entertainment Weekly,
Fast Company, Fortune, Glamour, Golf Digest, Inc, The New Republic, The New York Times
Ozy, Parade, Parents, People, Philadelphia, Prevention, Readers Digest, Runner’s World, Texas Monthly, Time Magazine, Time Life Custom Publishing, Vibe, The Wall Street Journal
Advertising
New York University, Columbia University Law School, Success Academy, Manhattan College,
3D Communications, Dupont, Cricket/DDB, The Billy Eichner Show/ Fuse TV,
G shock watches/ G Shock, 3M/ G2, Burger King/ Uniworld, USAA Annual Report/ VSA partners
Verizon/ RGA, The University Of Cincinnati Hospital /Lewis Communications, Time Warner/G2,
Foxwood Casino /Spike DDB, Verizon Online/ RGA, X-Box 360/ JDK, The Daily Show/ Comedy Central, Dave Chapelle/ Comedy Central, Canon / Grey, PB Teen/ Williams Sonoma, State Farm/ Spike DDB, Nickelodeon-Noggin/ Viacom